While perusing the Alaska Airlines website this morning to find more information about higher earning rates on partner airlines, I found this gem:
Our partnership with Delta is ending on April 30, 2017.
Effective May 1, 2017, Delta will no longer be a Mileage Plan™ partner. Please review the information below for information on earning and redeeming miles on Delta before the partnership ends.
This is obviously disappointing, as Alaska’s partnership with two other large domestic carriers was a huge perk. You could essentially fly on three of the five largest airlines and credit all your miles to a single loyalty program. It took a lot less effort to be loyal. It also meant that even if you didn’t live near a city that Alaska Airlines served you could still take advantage of their miles, which are generally worth more than Delta SkyMiles.
However, I can’t say I’m surprised. Alaska’s partnership has been stronger with American in the past couple years since Delta started competing more aggressively in the West Coast market. Perks like reciprocal lounge access have been long gone, and many people were counting the days until something like this happened.
If your flights are already booked, you’re safe. Any Delta flights booked before today for travel on any future date will still earn miles if credited to Alaska Mileage Plan. If you book your flights today or later, then you can only earn Alaska miles if you travel on or before April 30, 2017. More information can be found on Alaska’s website, and I’ve copied the relevant earning rates below.
